Hi, I'm Steve :) I have a gorgeous young brown tabby named Ivy. She's very cute and affectionate, but she has a bad habit that is annoying and, even more so, embarrassing when we have company over.

Ivy often scoops litter out of her litter box onto the bathroom floor. She does so whether the litter is clean or old. I've tried re-locating the box to a more open spot in the bathroom and it got worse. She immediately spread a large amount of litter around the bathroom floor. She often plays with litter as well.

Has anyone else had this issue? Anyone have any advice on how I can get her to stop scooping litter out of the box?

cell

April 11th, 2009 02:49 PM

Some cats are just over zelous with their poo burying you may want to look into a hooded bin.

saw420

April 11th, 2009 02:54 PM

We had considered that, but she generally scoops it out from the side she enters the box from. We still might do it just for the sake of appearances, cause guests won't likely be fond of looking at her poo anyway, but the behavior doesn't seem to have anything to do with her burying her waste. She does it when she hasn't even used the box, and will often just walk away after doing it without ever even going at all.

ancientgirl

April 11th, 2009 03:22 PM

When my Vlad was a kitten he used to actually like sitting in the litter and playing in there.

Is she a kitten?

I agree the hooded box would help in keeping the litter in the box. Does your current box have a little guard? Sometimes that really helps. Other than that, you may need to just keep a hand vac in the bathroom.:shrug:

Some cats really just get overzealous.:D

want4rain

April 11th, 2009 08:13 PM

ive found over the years that my cats get these 'notions' in their heads. it doesnt usually last long unless its -really- annoying. Hunters cord chewing for example. so perhaps if you are less annoyed, your cat will eventually find another past time? :)

that or you can put things on the floor like pebbles for the cat to play with and maybe she wont go looking for dirt to bat.

-ashley

TacoGrl

April 11th, 2009 08:39 PM

Don't get me started on cats who like to play in the litter box!!!! :frustrated:

I do find now Seth will go and do his business without incident...unless Messina gets him going...she LOVES to fling the litter around...tried that pine stuff and OMG did it get EVERYWHERE! They rolled in it and flung it around...with the normal scoopable stuff, they limit it to flinging it out of the box...no rolling. I find I have to distract Seth if I see him heading to the box while Messina is in there...it seems to be cutting down on the group play at least. :rolleyes:

sugarcatmom

April 12th, 2009 01:11 AM

Try putting the litter box inside a very large cardboard box with high sides, except for an opening cut into it for entry. Face the opening towards a wall, leaving enough space for the cat to get in and out. This should prevent the litter from scattering everywhere until your cat grows out of the habit. I personally wouldn't use a hooded box, mostly because they really don't make them big enough and because they trap odors, forcing the cat to endure a stinky lavatory. It's not much different from us having to use an outhouse, something I'm sure most of us would prefer to avoid. [url=http://www.freesmileys.org][img]http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-toilet05.gif[/img][/url]

rainbow

April 12th, 2009 01:49 AM

[B]SCM,[/B] you always have the "bestest" ideas. :thumbs up

DougG

April 12th, 2009 09:17 AM

I don't use enclosed boxes for my three cats, I've never liked them - however their 3 boxes have a raised detachable top section like the one seen [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catfiller.JPG]here[/url]. This really helps, it makes it harder for the cats to scoop litter out. They still manage to spill a bit but not nearly as much as they did before I started using this type of litterbox. Additionally, each box sits on a large rubber mat for winter boots - the kind with a raised spill lip around the edge. This helps contain what they manage to fling about. Overall I don't worry about any spillage though, it's going to happen no matter what you do, and I just vacuum around their boxes regularly.

CClover

April 12th, 2009 09:46 AM

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My problem was the dog ''cleaning'' the litter:yuck:
I came up with this...You don't need to put the cover,doesn't have to be that big either,if the cat can jump it will work....

TacoGrl

April 12th, 2009 01:41 PM

A little OT :D but I just saw a commercial where a tabby is flinging litter out of his box into the hallway then jumps up on the counter and sprays room deodorizer at his box! It was most adorable! Can't remember what product it was...

LooneyBoone

April 12th, 2009 01:47 PM

Could always try and hide it and make the bathroom look purdy as well with something like this.

Not all come hidden in a plant pot though some look like cabinets and the like and are far nicer to look at then a hooded or normal litter box. Though cats be cats she'd probably still kick some out unless there is a lip big enough to stop that from happening.

TacoGrl

April 12th, 2009 02:52 PM

LooneyBoone...that plant one is kinda freaky...something just seems wrong to see a cat coming out from inside a plant pot! :eek: I LOVE the idea though! If someone was crafty, they could probably fashion something up that fits the style of their home. :thumbs up

Hmmm...maybe a giant mouse...THAT would be odd to see a cat coming out of a mouse's mouth!